Anne Philomena O'Brien (born 1954) is an Australian historian and author who is a professor at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...

Early life

Anne Philomena O'Brien was born in 1954 in Glenelg, South Australia, Australia. Her parents were Paul and Mary (Mollie) O'Brien. Anne was their fifth and youngest daughter.

Education

In 1975, O'Brien earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

, graduating with honours. She taught part-time for a year at

Flinders University Flinders University is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across 11 locations in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of British navigator ...

in South Australia, before enrolling in a PhD program at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

. She completed her PhD in 1982.

Career

From 1982 to 1985, she taught at

Santa Sabina College , motto_translation = Truth , established = , slogan = Shake the world , principal = Paulina Skerman , chairperson = Tony Woods , location = Strathfield, In ...

. In 1987, O'Brien began lecturing in history at the

. She became an associate professor in 2007, and later became a full professor in the School of Humanities and Languages. In 1988, O'Brien published her first book, ''Poverty's Prison. The Poor in New South Wales 1880–1918,'' which was based on her PhD research. Her second book, ''God's Willing Workers: Women and Religion in Australia,'' was published in 2005. She published ''Philanthropy and Settler Colonialism in 2014.'' O'Brien is married and has two children.

References

Living people 1954 births 20th-century Australian women 21st-century Australian women 21st-century Australian people Australian historians University of Sydney alumni Academic staff of the University of New South Wales {{Australia-historian-stub